Phone got wet, need advice on my best bet from here.

Phone got wet, need advice on my best bet from here.

Long story short my phone got splashed when I was at the river, I forgot it was in my pocket and a big wave came and yadda yadda yadda. I put it in rice for three days straight, took it out, worked totally fine for the next two days. Yesterday, the screen started tweaking out, turning a bunch of different colors, and eventually only a few lines of pixels are actually turning on. I left it in rice for around 36 hours and it's still doing the same thing. I'd like to know what my best bet is from this point, should I pay $200 to replace the screen? What will happen to the resale value since the water damage indicator triggered, even if the phone is in perfect working condition? I swap phones pretty often, and if the resale value tanks I'm gonna have to dish out a big chunk of cash to buy a new phone outright, contract doesn't expire for 18 months. Could I just sell the phone as is for a decent price or no? Anyone who's had this experience, I'd greatly appreciate any advice. It's pretty much damage control at this point.

Re: Phone got wet, need advice on my best bet from here.

^ This is a good thread. I read from revivaphone it can take 5 days longer than the internals for the screen to clear/dry up.
Isopropyl Alcohol at 99% is best, according to this OP's research, but is only available commercially at a lower purity.
Anyway you have done the basics.
This OP sold his phone on ebay or craigslist for about $250 with a defunct screen. He did a follow up thread and got a deal on a Nexus 5 as well. He made the small error of putting it back in Is Alcohol again when the screen had not dried out fully. It might have been saved, we'll never know.

Re: Phone got wet, need advice on my best bet from here.

Great thread Madd54.

Pretty sure a local supply house will have 99% isopropyl alcohol, at about $20/gallon. You'll use a couple ounces, the rest will evaporate before you get to use it again. If they won't let you buy it, you should be able to find a friend whose has a business that can buy it for you. It's also available online the same way.

91% solution is available in drugstores that anyone can buy. Prices much more reasonable.

I'd add to do your drying in as warm a place as you can (sunlit window maybe, just not direct sunlight). Heat helps, speeds up the evaporation.

Re: Phone got wet, need advice on my best bet from here.

Originally Posted by TheMacs

Great thread Madd54.

Pretty sure a local supply house will have 99% isopropyl alcohol, at about $20/gallon. You'll use a couple ounces, the rest will evaporate before you get to use it again. If they won't let you buy it, you should be able to find a friend whose has a business that can buy it for you. It's also available online the same way.

91% solution is available in drugstores that anyone can buy. Prices much more reasonable.

I'd add to do your drying in as warm a place as you can (sunlit window maybe, just not direct sunlight). Heat helps, speeds up the evaporation.

Good luck.

That's very useful info as well, thanks.

I see now I linked that OP's follow up thread rather than the original, but it was a fun thread. He later posted in the Nexus 5 forum as well and was happy with his choice.

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